Submitted by
spgallo
a Racer
from Sacramento Date Reviewed: May 27, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Mickey Mouse
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$425.00
Purchased At:
Ebay Dealer
Strengths:
The switch is very easy to use even with gloves on. The battery life is decent, but I think their claims are over exaggerated. The light is bright and has a strong focussed beam which can light up the trail at quite a distance.
Weaknesses:
Helmet mount us useless! The mounting surface is so small that it is very difficult to stabilize to my helmet. I ended up placing a piece of folded inner tube under it which seems to help. Furthermore, light the strap will not tighten sufficiently to the mount. It could use one more adjustment whole. The light has to be continually readjusted to keep it pointed where you want it.
Light beam - the beam has a strong hotspot which is to bright for being pointed at anything close as it washes out. When the hotspot is pointed in the distance the ambient light is to week to use as a handlebar light. When used as helmet light the hotspot is nice for seeing what is coming ahead down the trail, but the ambient light is strong enough to flatten out obstacles. I would prefer a light with just a focused beam (for helmet) or just an even flood (for handlebar).
I am also concerned to use as a handlebar light as one crash and the plastic lense will break or scratch. The Trinewt has a body design which is superior for crash protection and makes a much better handlebar light as it has an even and strong flood light. (The Trinewt does not work well as a helmet light because it is heavy, switch is buried in backpack, and beam is flood.)
Similar Products Used:
Trinewt, Digital Evolution, Tail Rat
Bike Setup:
Rocky Mountain ETSX
Bottom Line:
Bright, long battery life, but missing the mark in durability and functionality. I recommend a Trinewt for handlebar and even my Trailrat makes a better helmet light when using the Trinewt as a handlebar light.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
MountainCycler
a Cross Country Rider
from Altadena, CA Date Reviewed: April 3, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Sam Merrill, Sunset
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
I really like the Seca 700. Has nice wide beam, varying light options are a plus
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Niterider flamethrower Not really the same since HID, Trinewt on a Niterider demo ride.
Bike Setup:
Mountain Cycle Shockwave
Bottom Line:
Good light, nice broad pattern. However, my helmet mounted Flight overpowers the LED's, but the combo is great. I would think the 700 lumens is a bit exagerrated since my HID per the Niterider website is only 500 lumens, but it pierces through the Seca. I do think this is a better beam pattern than the Trinewt or Flight though.
The value rating will be high since I purchased it on ebay. Overall, I did expect it to be head and shoulders better than the HID, but only marginally.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
indyfab25
a Cross Country Rider
from Bath,Me Date Reviewed: January 24, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Spider Loop, Okinawa, Japan
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
Bikeman.com
Strengths:
Optics, ease of helmet adapter/bar adapter use, realistic light times, quick charge time, charger...
Weaknesses:
The light can move on the bar and helmet if the rubber isn't tight enough.
Similar Products Used:
Cateye Double and Triple Shots
Bike Setup:
Santa Craz LT2
Bottom Line:
This light rocks. The amount of light is quite incredible. This is exaggerated by how well the light is focused. The spot is pretty well defined. I like to put it exactly where I would normally look and go for it. The difference between night and day riding is getting smaller.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
FNA4
a Weekend Warrior
from New Mexico Date Reviewed: January 18, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Otero canyon
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$425.00
Purchased At:
Performance
Strengths:
Quick and easy to mount with the rubber strap- and no movement on my bar. Nice beam pattern and very bright on high. The "race" feature is nice to be able to quickly go back and forth from hi to low. Good burn times and quick charge time at 2 hours is good for 24 hr racing. Overall good design with nice plugs and great on/off switch.
Weaknesses:
PRICE! And I managed to get a good deal from Performance via coupon and "price matching". I am worried about durability of the lens in a crash. I used a trinewt before that seemed to be built better to withstand crashes. The cord is a little long, but was no problem to wrap around the top tube a few times before plugging in to the battery.
Similar Products Used:
NiteRider Trinewt, Flamethrower HID, and a Dual Classic Plus.
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Superlight with an oversized Easton monkeylite bar.
Bottom Line:
This is a great light and so far I am very happy with it. I am using a NR HID on my helmet and the SECA on my bar. This is way better than my Dual Classic. I debated on getting the Trinewt, and was glad to see that the Seca is much brighter with faster charge times. I figure the exta cost is worth it if I can go fast with better vision and less chance of crashing (I'm too old for that). I have been very pleased with NR's customer service- especially at 24hr races, so I kind of feel like a traitor going with Light & Motion. I hope their customer service is as good as NR. Anyone who does 24 hr mtn bike races should strongly consider this light.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
CrotchRot
a Weekend Warrior
from Anaheim Date Reviewed: January 5, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Front side of Big Bear WAS fun
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
Banning's
Strengths:
Very bright usable light. Nice wide light pattern. Has not died on me yet.
Weaknesses:
CUSTOMER SUPPORT!
Similar Products Used:
Just about all of them over the years.
Bottom Line:
Good light, horrible customer service. My light came without a manual. Went to their website and it was not on their yet (I will never understand that. Just a PDF for god's sake). Left multiple emails and voicemails, and have not heard a peep back (been a few months now). Still no manual. I will never understand this. It's really not that hard to put it on the site, or email it to me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brianb1958
a Racer
from Fresno, CA Date Reviewed: December 10, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Mr. Toads
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$399.00
Purchased At:
E-bay
Strengths:
Lot's of light. Great pattern. Multiple settings
Weaknesses:
Price.
Similar Products Used:
Light & Motin ARC
Bike Setup:
Trek Madone, Trek 5200
Bottom Line:
I replaced my L&M Arc with this light because I was pretty happy with the Arc and I found out that it was no longer in production. It was also backwards compatible with the Arc light. My battery on the ARC had gone bad after 3 years of moderate use.
The new LED Seca headlight is better. The pattern is improved greatly and even though it's not much brighter. I also like the multiple settings (high, med, low, flashing) which was not possible with the HID head on the ARC.
The new mounting system is very convenient but it does tend to shake more on rough rodes because of the rubber strap.
Bottom line: If you can afford the $$$ you won't be disappointed. I'd expect there to be more affordable knock offs soon with the way LED technology is taking off.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
richfmtl
a Weekend Warrior
from Ste-Therese Date Reviewed: November 26, 2008
Favorite Trail:
MOC
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
Bicycles Quilicot
Strengths:
Bright light
Weaknesses:
Mounting strap
Bike Setup:
Uber-V
Bottom Line:
Great at lighting up the trail, but will move around if mounted on the handle bars.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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